Ethan Bodnaruk's Discussions

Hi everyone,I live in New York State and haven't been able to find good information on whether or not we can get our house insulated. I've searched the forums and internet, so please excuse me if…Continue

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"That is very true! We had a residential energy efficiency contractor come in (same people who found the K&T then turned tail and ran!) and it seemed like they took more of a "cookie cutter" approach. They wanted to do wall…"

"Welcome to Home Energy Pros! Feel free to join the conversation in the Forum and Groups. And share your energy efficiency photos, videos and upcoming events. If you're blogging about home performance, this is the place for you! Don't…"

Hi everyone,I live in New York State and haven't been able to find good information on whether or not we can get our house insulated. I've searched the forums and internet, so please excuse me if I'm missing something obvious. We have a 1929 house, but the trick is that we don't have the original K&T wiring. The electrical system was updated a few decades ago (100 amp) and from what I understand, we have new wiring but have some junction boxes in the wall that still have some K&T.…See More

"Ethan . . . insulation is only the half of it: it's especially important to do a good job of air sealing.
If your wood burning stove takes its combustion air from inside the house, infiltration from inadequately air sealed details will…"

"Thanks everyone. It does seem like K&T unfairly gets a bad rap for safety, when alterations or overuse can be causes of fire but not normally functioning K&T.
We got a wood stove this season and it does a fair job heating the…"

"I did a Web search on this recently;
NEC prohibits covering K&T with insulation. Must maintain a 3" air gap. Some states, under the auspices of Bonneville Power, have amended that rule; Calif, OR, WA, ID and also Nebraska.…"

" Ethan . . . 1929 is pretty late for knob and tube in new construction; it would be possible for a home inspector or even some electricians who are not experienced in homes of this vintage to mistake the heavy fabric jacketing on some types of…"

"Hi Bud,
Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, our home inspector did not talk about K&T much, other than pointing out a couple places in the basement and attic where there was exposed K&T and pointing out that our electrical service had…"

"Hi Ethan,
(my opinion) All wires have a temperature rating and K&T wires were not rated to be covered with insulation. Since all K&T was not removed, you don't know where the old wiring is and is not. Until that is…"

Hi everyone,I live in New York State and haven't been able to find good information on whether or not we can get our house insulated. I've searched the forums and internet, so please excuse me if I'm missing something obvious. We have a 1929 house, but the trick is that we don't have the original K&T wiring. The electrical system was updated a few decades ago (100 amp) and from what I understand, we have new wiring but have some junction boxes in the wall that still have some K&T.…See More

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